Words from the Ancients: Greek Law and Politics

Posted by Robin Fowler Aug 11, 2006

Democracy - From the Greek demos, meaning "people". Democracy is a term rooted in 5th century Athenian history. It's meaning, "government by the people" is a concept still thought of in most western governments as a political ideal today.

Ostracize - From the Greek ostrakon, meaning "potsherd". The ancient Athenians used potsherds to vote unliked or unworthy politicians or prominent figures out of Athens for a period of time. This was done by scratching the names on the ostraka, and the majority ruled. Today, the meaning of ostracize is to exclude or banish, and has a very negative connotation.

Strategy - From the Greek strategos, meaning "general". In ancient Athenian military history, there were 10 strategoi of the Athenian army, one for each Athenian tribe. They held their offices in a building called the Strategeion.